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The Transcription Regulator GntR/HutC Regulates Biofilm Formation, Motility and Stress Tolerance in Lysobacter capsici X2-3

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Abstract

Lysobacter capsici X2-3, a plant growth-promoting rhizobacteria (PGPR), was isolated from wheat rhizosphere and has inhibitory effects against a wide range of pathogens. One important characteristic of L. capsici is its ability to produce diverse antibiotics and lytic enzymes. The GntR family of transcription factors is a common transcription factor superfamily in bacteria that has fundamental roles in bacterial metabolism regulation. However, the GntR family transcription factor in Lysobacter has not been identified. In this study, to obtain an understanding of the GntR/HutC gene function in L. capsici X2-3, a random Tn5-insertion mutant library of X2-3 was constructed to select genes showing pleiotropic effects on phenotype. We identified a Tn5 mutant with an insertion in LC4356 that showed reduced biofilm levels, and sequence analysis indicated that the inserted gene encodes a GntR/HutC family transcription regulator. Furthermore, the LC4356 mutant showed reduced extracellular polysaccharide (EPS) production, diminished twitching motility and decreased survival under UV radiation and high-temperature. The RT‒qPCR results indicated that the pentose phosphate pathway-related genes G6PDH, 6PGL and PGDH were upregulated in the LC4356 mutant. Thus, since L. capsici is an efficient biocontrol agent for crop protection, our findings provide fundamental insights into GntR/HutC and will be worthwhile to improve PGPR biocontrol efficacy.

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Funding

This work was supported by Outstanding Youth Foundation of Shandong Province [Grant Number ZR2021YQ20], the Shandong Modern Agricultural Industry Technology System [Grant Number SDAIT-04-08], Key Research and Development Program of Shandong Province [Grant Number 2019JZZY020608], Weifang Tobacco Company Science and Technology Project [Grant Number 2022-36].

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  1. Chao Han and Aixin Liu have contributed equally to this work.

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Shandong Provincial Key Laboratory of Agricultural Microbiology, College of Plant Protection, Shandong Agricultural University, Tai’an, 271018, China

    Dan Zhao, Jing Wang, Hong Wang, Xiaoping Zhu, Chao Han & Aixin Liu

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  3. Hong Wang
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Contributions

The study was conceived by JW, the majority of the experiments were conducted by JW and DZ, and some were assisted by HW, the data were analyzed by XZ, DZ, CH and AL drafted the manuscript. Before submission, all authors read and approved the final manuscript.

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Correspondence to Chao Han or Aixin Liu.

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Zhao, D., Wang, J., Wang, H. et al. The Transcription Regulator GntR/HutC Regulates Biofilm Formation, Motility and Stress Tolerance in Lysobacter capsici X2-3. Curr Microbiol 80, 281 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00284-023-03390-1

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